Cooler apparatus



s. B. READ v CQOLER APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 1.1, 1935 uh i EJY , W TEIHNEYE qm 17. 1940. 61mm 2215392 COOLER APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 11, '1935 2 Sheets-Shed 2 W ATTCIENEYE Patented Sept. 17, 1940 UNITED STATE COOLER APPARATUS George B. Read, Blooming'ton, Ill.

Application November 11, 1935, Serial No. 49,130 I Renewed July 13, 1937 8 Claims.-

I This invention refers to a bottle cooler of the immersion or'wet type such as used by dispensers of bottled drinks. v

The principal object of the invention is the provision of an immersion bottle cooler that will maintain a low temperature of the cooling water and form small pieces of ice in embossed recesses of the tank. so as to maintain its full storage capacity, said small pieces of. ice being easily detached from the tank to assist the general cooling of the contents.

Another object is to providewa dry storage com-- partment under the tank and cooled Generally by said tank but; assisted by additional expansion 0 coils in the storage compartment to make it an effective refrigerator.

Additional objects and advantages will appear in the following description and accompanying drawings in which: n I

Fig.1 is a front elevational view of a cabinet containing the elements of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side Aelevational view showing elements of my invention as the same are arranged for 'practicaluse;

Fig. 3 is an'elevational view of the device as the same would appear when seen from the right in Fig. 3; p

.Fig. 4 is a sectional elevational view taken on lined-lining. 1i j Fig. 5 is an enlarged iragmental sectional plan view taken approximately from line iin Fig. 3: and Y a Fig.- 8 is an enlarged fragmental sectional de-' tail view of the portion included in the bracket 35 designated A, in Fig. .4. 1

. cabinet II, which may have any exterior appearance found desirable.

Fig. 4 illustrates that the interior of the lower portion Ii adapted to house a compressor. unit and an upperchamber I2 surrounded by insulated walls ll.- f In the upper portion of chamber i2 I disposed 45 a tank ll adapted to contain water. The tank is preferably supported or suspended by means of its upper edges being attached to structural members ifi-which, as clearly shown in Fig. 4, rest upon the upper edges of the wall structure it.

The cabinet is provided with an opening lying over tank I4, and this opening is closed by means ofa cover member it, which is provided with "handles' ll, the cover being constructed to provide suitable insulation and resting upon shoul- 55 der portions ll formed in the cabinet structure.

In carrying out. my invention I utilize a cabinet is divided into two main portions, a'

Tank i4 is so dimensioned as to occupy only a portion the height of chamber l2, and that portion of the chamber lying below. the tank thus becomes an open area to which access ishad by means of a door l8 hinged to the front 5 of the cabinet. The plan dimensions of the tank are made smaller than the interior dimensions of chamber l2. There is thus provided an open area between the tank and walls of the cabinet which permits free circulation of air from the open area of the chamber up and around the tank.

Suitable ventilating louvers I! are provided in the base portion of the cabinet to permit circulation of air around the compressor unit.

The compressor unit comprises a convent onal motor 20, compressor 2!, a fan 22, radiator 23, and reservoir, 24. The motor has connection with the power source and the operation of the unit is automatically controlled by means of con-- ventional switching devices which are operated responsiyely to temperatures within chamber i2. Control devices of the type thought sufllciently well known to obviate detailed description.

-.The heat absorption de vices of my cooler con- Y sist of a coil disposed vertically in the open portion of chamber l2 and a coil 26 surroundin the tank I. It will be noted, especially in Figs. 2-to 5-, that the walls of tank ll are so formed as to have a series of recesses 21, which are spaced apart on the vertical walls of the tank as shown in the several views; The recesses are offset from the inside of the tank in such a manner as to form a series of out set portions on the exterior surface of the tank and the back walls ofthe recesses are provided withseries of horizontal indentations or trough portions 28. These trough portions are adapted to'receive and partially embed the pipes of coil 26 in the manner shown best in Figs. 5 and 6-. The pipes may, or'may not, be soldered, or otherwise attached in the troughs. The arrangement obviouslyprovides relatively large areas 'of metallic contact between the walls of the pipes 45 and metal of the tank wall.

The recesses 21 are spaced apart on thetank walls as above noted and are so dimensioned that the pipes, lying in the troughs 28, are spaced slightly away from the tank walls in the spaces between the recesses.

Due to the metallic contact noted, heat is more efllciently conducted in the areas adjacent .the troughs 28. Ice will obviously be formed more or less rapidly in these areas, whereas in and at the same time numerous surfaces of ice the spaces between the recesses'heat is less efficientiy conducted and the formation of ice will be less rapid. By suitable adjustment of refrigerant expansion I am enabled to regulate the formation of ice so as to confine it substantially to the area of recesses 27. The usual formation is roughly indicated in Figs. 5 and 6.'

It will be noted that the ice occupies the area of the recesses and protrudes little, if any, into the tank. Thus, the full area of the tank is available for storage of beverages and the like are exposed to the water to promote proper cooling thereof.

The interior surfaces around troughs 28 and about the edges of recesses 21 are all rounded in such a manner that no anchorage is provided, so that the ice formed in the recesses is easily removed, or quickly disengages itself when the temperature in coil 26 rises above the freezing point. The ice thus removed is obviously in the tion except within form of small pieces which quickly float away and are melted in the water.

Surrounding the bottom of tank I4 is a trough 29 having connection with a drain pipe 30 which provides means for collecting water forming on the exterior of the tank. A frost pan 29' is disposed below the coil 25 forthe purpose of collecting water draining from the coil. In Fig. 4 it is shown that the reservoir 24 of the compressor unit is connected by means of a pipe 3i, through a control valve 32 with the coil 25 and that coil 25, Fig.2, is connected with coil 26 through a pipe 38, the return line from coil 26 being connected with the compressor ,unit in the usual way. a I

It isto be noted that coil 25 is made up from tubing having "a comparatively small cross section area, the length being made suitable for the 'purpose of providing proper expansion and heat .absorption area to cool chamber-i2, and that coil 26 is made from tubing having a relatively larger cross section area, its length being made so as to provide suitable expansion and heat absorption area for proper cooling of the water in tank It.

It will now become apparent that compressed refrigerant passing from reservoir 2d first passes into coil 25, under control of valve 32, and therein expands to an extent limited by the total cubical area in the coil. Thence it passes into coil 28 which has considerably larger expansion area. Thus the refrigerant is expanded in two stages, the first stage taking place in coil 25, and the second stage taking place in coil 28. By selecting the proper sizes of pipe and arra their length so as to provide expansion areas of suitable proportionate sizes I accomplish proper and satisfactory cooling of the open area below' the tank and in the tank itself.

. By the means described I have provided a cooler apparatus having the advantages of better distribution of cooling area, more perfect.

cooling effect, and simplicity.

Modifications of structure are obviously'possible without alteration of the principle involved. I do not wish to be limited in structure or functhe scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is: v l. A cooling cabinet device including in combination a cabinet, a chamber in the cabinet, a tank in the upper portion of the cabinet, a refrigerating system in the cabinet including an expansion coil surrounding the tank, the walls of said tank being provided with a plurality of recessed portions ofifset from the inner surfaces of the tank, the pipes of said coil being in metallic contact with the outer surface of said recessed-portions and spaced away from the remaining portions of the walls whereby heat is absorbed more rapidly in the area of said recessed portions due to more eflicient conduction and water in the tank is more rapidly formed into ice in said recessed portions.

2. A device of the class described including in combination a cabinet, an insulated chamber in the cabinet, a tank in the upper portion of the cabinet, a refrigerating system in the cabinet ineluding an expansion coil surrounding the tank, the walls of the tank having a series of recesses formed therein, said recesses being offset from the interior surfaces of the walls and lying vertically with respect thereto, a series of indentations lying crosswise of said recesses and longitudinally of the pipes of said coil, the indentations providing recesses in the outer surface of the walls adapted to permit liniitedimbedding of the pipes in the outer surfaces of the recesses with increased area of metallic contact between said pipes whereby to promote more rapid absorption of heat and consequent formation of ice in the water, said formation of ice being substantially confined. tothe' area of said cept at certain embossed areas where eflective' thermal contact is made by the coils to cause the formation of relagively small easily removable pieces of ice.

4. A bottle cooler having a water tank for the immersion of bottles, a' food storage compartment disposed under said tank deriving heat absorption therefrom, an expansion coil in the food storage compartment and an expansion coil around the tank contacting its surface on rela tively small outwardly. embossed areas of the tank where effective thermal contact is made by the coils to cause the formation of relatively small pieces of ice in said embossed recesses to maintain the efiective storage capacity of the tank.

5. In a refrigerating bath, a sheet metal container having a series of spaced pocket-like depressions in the wall thereof, said depressions having a series of indentations to receive and fit an evaporator coil and refrigerating mechanism including an evaporator coil having portions arranged in contact with said pockets by their fitinsaid indentations and in heat transfer relation thereto and having other portions spaced pressions in the wall thereof, said deprwsions having a series of indentations to receive and fit an evaporator coil, refrigerating mechanism inciuding an evaporator coil having portions arranged in contact with said indentations and in heat transfer relation with the pockets and having other portions spaced from the remaining portions of said wall and means for controlling said refrigerating mechanism whereby when ice is formed under incidental favorable conditions,

/ compartment and 9,215,192 it forms within said pockets and under reverse conditions is melted free of said pockets.

'7. The combination with a. tank, of a refrigerating coil structure secured thereto, said tank including a wall structure made of sheet metal having spaced parallel portions pressed outwardly therefrom, said. depressions having a series of indentations frigerating coil, andsaid coil extending transversely across said portions and secured thereto in heat transfer relation by contact with said indentations. I

8. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having an upper a lower compartment, the upper compartment being provided with a tank arranged therein in such fashion as to provide to receive and fit the re-' a space between the walls of the tank and the walls of the cabinet and a space between the bottom of the tank and bottom of the upper compartment to permit free circulation of ccn-- vection currents between said spaces, said tank wall being provided with a series of spaced channels and a refrigerating evaporator in the form of a coiled conduit in said space between the walls of the tank and cabinet and arranged to cooperate with the wall channels of the tank in such fashion as to cause spaced ice formations to be built up on the inner faces of the walls of the tank in the channels thereof when the tank contains water.

GEORGE B. READ. 

